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Webmaster -> 2006 National African American Preservation Alliance Conference: (6/21/2006 9:53:45 PM)
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2006 National African American Preservation Alliance Conference:
Keeping Our Eyes on the Prize
MEMPHIS, TN (June 21, 2006) From August 3-5, the 2006 African-American Preservation Alliance Conference will be held at the University of Memphis Holiday Inn. The conference is being jointly sponsored by the Tennessee Cultural Heritage Preservation Society (TNCHPS), Memphis Landmarks Commission, Middle Tennessee State University Center for Historic Preservation, and the Memphis and Shelby County Division of Planning and Development.
Throughout the three day event, conference participants will be able to hear locally, regionally, and nationally recognized leaders in the field of historic preservation and community development speak on a variety of topics related to the conservation of African American heritage. Conference sessions will include such topics as building capacity in non-profit organizations, African American heritage development, and the revitalization of historically African American commercial areas.
Individual conference sessions will also focus on a variety of topics specific to a notable event, theme, or place. Session topics will include Julius Rosenwald and the Rosenwald School Building Program, the preservation of African American owned farmland in the south, the preservation of Gullah Geechee burial sites, remembering the 1906 Atlanta Race Riot, and the importance of the cemetery in the African American communities of northwestern Louisiana.
In addition to these sessions and discussions, the conference will be highlighted by several special events. On Thursday, August 3, Mr. Michael Allen and Mr. Donovan Rypkema will be the featured speakers at the opening reception. Mr. Allen is an education specialist with the National Park Service, and will speak on the Gullah/Geechee National Heritage Area. The costal islands of the Georgia and South Carolina coasts have harbored a unique culture, that due to its physical isolation, has managed to preserve many of the West African traditions of the enslaved population who inhabited this area beginning in the early 1800’s. Mr. Allen, who is also of Gullah descent, will discuss ways in which the African traditions that form the foundation of today’s Gullah/Geechee culture are being preserved against the growing threat of costal development.
Mr. Donovan Rypkema, widely recognized as an industry expert in the economics of preserving historic structures, is a frequent speaker at architecture, planning, and design institutions around the country. As principal for the consulting practice Place Economics, Mr. Rypkema has performed real estate and economic development consulting work throughout the United States on projects ranging from individual historic structures to main street commercial centers. Mr. Rypkema has also provided consulting services to the National Trust for Historic Preservation since 1983. At this conference Mr. Donovan will speak on the Economics of Preservation.
On Friday, August 4, the African American Preservation Alliance Luncheon will also feature two notable speakers. Jeffery Harris, Diversity Director for the National Trust for Historic Preservation will open the luncheon. The keynote speaker will be Mr. Rodney Reynolds, founder and publisher of American Legacy Magazine. Mr. Reynolds is also executive producer of American Legacy Television, a nationally syndicated T.V program. That evening a gospel music tribute to Lucie E. Campbell-Williams and Rev William Herbert Brewster will be held in the Holiday Inn Ballroom.
Three optional guided tours will also be available to conference participants. An overview of the city tour will serve as an introduction to the people, places, and events important to understanding African American history within the city of Memphis. This tour will visit a historically African American neighborhood, and feature information on homes, schools, theatres, and other sites vital to the community.
A music tour will allow interested participants the chance to learn about the role of Memphis in the creation of blues and soul, two of the greatest forms of American music. This tour will feature historic Beale Street, the Stax Museum of American Soul Music, and other sites related to the rich musical heritage of the bluff city.
For those interested in learning more about the site and events within the city related to the Civil Rights Movement, a special tour highlighting this history will also be available to conference attendees. This tour will visit the Lorraine Motel, National Civil Rights Museum, Mason Temple, Clayborn Temple, and other local sites significant to the movement.
For additional information, or to request conference registration information, please call Clara Harris at (901) 576-6610. Conference registration information can also be downloaded from www.DPDGOV.com and click on link 8/3 AAPA Conference.
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